CELTICS: Marcus Morris not a fan of the Phoenix Suns

Friday

The Celtics forward was unhappy about being traded by the team that included his twin brother, Markieff, in the summer of 2015. The Celtics host the Suns on Saturday aftenroon.

They became teammates with the Phoenix Suns in Feburary 2013 and later signed contract extensions at the same time.

Twin brothers Marcus and Markieff Morris thought they would be together at least through the 2019-20 season, but that didn’t turn out to be the case.

The Suns needed to clear salary-cap space in the summer of 2015 as they pursued free agents, so Marcus was traded to the Detroit Pistons.

A month later, Markieff said he was going to ask to be dealt away as well, unhappy at what happened to his brother.

The Morris twins had signed four-year extensions with the Suns before the 2014-15 season that would kick in a year later, and they took a combined $52 million.

Instead of potentially getting more money in free agency, the brothers wanted to remain together and took that deal from the Suns.

And when Marcus was sent to the Pistons, there was unhappiness and bitterness, which still lingers.

Today, Marcus Morris faces the Suns as a member of the Celtics when Phoenix makes its annual visit to the TD Garden (1:05 p.m., TV: NBC Sports Boston; radio: WZLX-FM/100.7).

This is his third season away from the Suns, but Marcus still sounds like he’s upset at what happened.”

“Honestly, I’m tired of talking about Phoenix,” said Morris this week. “I’m in Boston, I was in Detroit. I mean, it’s evident what’s going on over there. The players, I have a great relationship with, it has nothing to do with them. It’s the ownership and things like that.

“I think they could be a lot better. The way they treat their players, what players go through, some people think because you’re paid a certain amount, everything else shouldn’t matter. I think they don’t do a great job there.”

Markieef Morris stayed with the Suns until Feb. 18, 2016, when he was traded to the Washington Wizards.

The Morris twins, who played together at Kansas, were separated on draft night in 2011 when Marcus was picked by the Houston Rockets and Markieff by the Suns.

They were reunited when Marcus was traded in February 2013 to Phoenix.

“Everybody knew how bad I wanted to play with my brother,” said Marcus Morris during a 2015 press conference after he was sent to the Pistons. “Phoenix knew.

“For them to trade me without consent or telling or anything like that was kind of like a, I would say slap in the face, because of the contract I took from those guys and the money I took from them. That was kind of a slap in the face.”

The Suns’ visit also means the return to the Garden of guard Devin Booker, who scored 70 points on the parquet floor last March 24 when Phoenix lost to the Celtics, 130-120.

Booker joined Wilt Chamberlain, David Robinson, David Thompson, Elgin Baylor and Kobe Bryant as the only players in NBA history to reach 70 points.

He made 21-of-40 shots and converted 24-of-26 foul shots to accomplish the feat. Booker scored 51 second-half points, 28 in the last quarter.